[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by SRT

To my surprise, I found that 90% of the Honda city owners never experienced IVtec knowingly and some of them even after owning them for years. .

True, It is a family car and I am not surprised that people do not drive it at high engine speeds.

iVtec dulls it's performance at low speeds for the sake of fuel economy and at the expense of driveability - if you are using a manual transmission. iVtec works well with CVT, you don't have much control over the engine speed there anyways.

[vvvinod]

Originally Posted by GTO

Other Notable Mentions

Dear GTO, with power-to-weight ratio of 99 BHP / ton and torque to weight ratio of 137 Nm / ton Maruti Ignis should have been strong contender here, no?

[motorworks]

Im sorry, but I do not understand some of the opinions and views. This is a thread about the best Enthusiasts cars on sale today. Period.
Its not about what car you can have a little fun with. That you can have it with any car if you drive it in an exciting manner.

I have test driven the Tsi and the Abarth and I can tell you they are a hoot to drive and the difference between these two and some commuter car is so apparent. In fact I used to own a Rapid Diesel, which is almost the same as a Polo or Vento and in spite of that I found the Vento Tsi and Polo Tsi so much different, purely because of the engine, gear box combination.

Why do we have to make every list an inclusive one? Why not say it like it is?

To be honest, Indian market actually lacks true blue enthusiast cars, and I can think of only the Octavia RS, but yes, the others mentioned in the list are very good too, like the TSi, Abarth and the new JTP twins. And they deserve to be called as an enthusiasts car.



But, no, we want the Brio to be included and now some one says include the ignis purely because of the power to weight ratio. If we are at it, then why not add the Swift, the Toyota Liva, may be some other commuter car here as well.

A manufacturer like Tata goes out and does a lot of work in making a car that truly makes some performance parameters tick and we simply want to add Brio and the ignis to the list because its supposedly fun to drive?

[Arjun Reddy]

Hell for leather. I pick the Skoda VRS. Though I am waiting to buy the Compass Trailhawk, albeit for probably a more complete garage and more so as a daily beater that I can also enjoy my holidays with.

This Octavia VRS is one complete car that will fit the family and fun bit.

Great that you added Alto to the list, but I just prefer my 11 year old Maruti 800.

[prateekswarup]

Originally Posted by SRT

To my surprise, I found that 90% of the Honda city owners never experienced IVtec knowingly and some of them even after owning them for years. Ivtec is a marvelous technology which can give mileage upto 23KMPL if driven at low RPM and at the same time, can do 0-100 KM under 10 Sec at RPM above 2800+(Of course compromising the mileage here to 10-12 KMPL)



My request to all who want to experience the real IVtec difference is please take your/friends IVtec city and drive it above 2800 RPM and comment here. You can put most of the Petrols and turbo diesels under 15 lakhs to shame.



Also, please drive it in low RPM coasting maximum and check the MID mileage minus 1.5KMPL to get actual efficiency.

Excellent thread! While I have the pleasure of owning a Polo GT TSI, the City at home is always a hoot to drive, specially on twisty hill roads.

The Polo, in my case, brings a smile to my face on the dreary NCR roads, every time you take it out for a spin.

I thought the Pajero Sport was ways a FTD SUV when compared to all the cars in that bracket. Is it not so?

[johy]

Nice thread. Lucky to own 3 of them cars, the T-Jet, Alto K10, and the Thar.

Difficult choice to drive between the Thar and the T-Jet; the K10 is more of a practical go about.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by GTO

Excellent options are available at each & every price point.

Well said, if I may say so myself.

3 cars side-by-side in a traffic jam. All 3 at different price points, all 3 completely different in nature...yet, all will make a petrol-head smile. An offroader, a corner-carver & a fun, yet practical sedan.

My Jeep in the middle. To the right is a Cooper S:


And to my left, a Tigor JTP:


All 3 have nothing in common, except that their owners love cars .

[The AG 6167]

Question to all (please move post to appropriate thread if this isnt)

I have been looking for a fun to drive, petrol powered, reliable car with good resale value in the price bracket of Rs.10-14 lacs on road for over a year. Havent found anything yet! I need help from anyone who can suggest me anything worth considering other than the following -

1.honda city - its great but its old and it looks & feels so too, needs an all new model immediately

2.ford ecosport - ford has announced to shut shop so resale value should fall for sure

3.skoda rapid / vw vento - need an all new model even more urgently than a city

4.polo gt tsi - no hatchbacks!

Please help team bhpians!

[sjain2054]

Originally Posted by GTO

There are cars and then, there are cars. As BHPians, we aren't looking at a mere mode of transportation from point A -> point B. (related thread).

I am only talking about fast & sorted cars here and not fun to drive 4X4s etc - - if the Octavia VRS and Abarth are not on sale anymore and TSI has DSG issues then the only other really good options in the first hand car market are the following - Ford Figo with the 1.5L Dragon, Etios Cross with the 1.5L petrol and the Etios Platinum with the 1.5L petrol. Am I right? (Among genuinely fun cars and not Brio/Swift types)

In the Liva TRD review, you had written that the suspension is really good and you would choose it over the 1.2TSI. Now that it is not in the market anymore, in your expert opinion, can one go for Cross or Platinum 1.5L and would they have similar fun driving experience? (suspension etc included?)

Where in Bombay can I get the 1.5L modded with the intake etc that you have mentioned elsewhere?

Originally Posted by The AG 6167

Question to all (please move post to appropriate thread if this isnt)

I have been looking for a fun to drive, petrol powered, reliable car with good resale value in the price bracket of Rs.10-14 lacs on road for over a year. Havent found anything yet! I need help from anyone who can suggest me anything worth considering other than the following -

1.honda city - its great but its old and it looks & feels so too, needs an all new model immediately

2.ford ecosport - ford has announced to shut shop so resale value should fall for sure

3.skoda rapid / vw vento - need an all new model even more urgently than a city

4.polo gt tsi - no hatchbacks!

Please help team bhpians!

I never comment on cars that I have not driven. I have driven all the cars mentioned by you and more and let me give you a solid advice.

The Etios Platinum fits your requirement perfectly! Why? Here is why -

1. Toyota after sales is AWESOME! I am saying this from first hand experience of getting my Uncle's Etios 1.5L petrol serviced in Delhi/Noida. They service your car as if they are servicing their own car. It will remain new and awesome for years to come

2. You are looking for a driver's car, right? This car beats most cars. The 1.5L petrol is magic! The car is light and so the power to weight is phenomenal.

3. For a driver's car, it is not sufficient to have a good engine. The suspension and the transmission should support it (a good chassis too, of course...remembering my wonderful drive to Goa in the old Figo and that chassis made the drive so awesome!). GTO had mentioned in his TRD Liva 1.5L petrol review that the suspension is spot on. If the Toyota people have given the Etios Platinum the same suspension then its perfect. I have asked GTO this question in the post above. I will search separately too!

4. Its a manual!

5. It is a Toyota! What reliability! What are you going to do with a Vento TSI if it breaks down mid way to your destination? Or costs a bomb to service? (let alone repair!)

6. Its a Toyota! Are you really worried about resale!? Of course, it is the diesel Etios that commands the best resale price but the petrol is very good on the resale market too!

7. It is cheap! Do not listen to people about cheap interiors etc. With the money you save, over next 1-2 years, you can get the BEST after market accessories! Cameras, seats, touchscreens, music systems..whatever you want!

8. SPACE! If you are alone, unleash the fast driving beast in you. If you are with family, play that role to the 'T' (pun intended!)

9. If you are truly looking for the AWESOME driving experience then this point is very important! The opportunity to mod is vast! There are many posts about this on teambhp!

[kubectl]

Originally Posted by The AG 6167

I have been looking for a fun to drive, petrol powered, reliable car with good resale value in the price bracket of Rs.10-14 lacs on road for over a year. Havent found anything yet! I need help from anyone who can suggest me anything worth considering other than the following -

1.honda city - its great but its old and it looks & feels so too, needs an all new model immediately

2.ford ecosport - ford has announced to shut shop so resale value should fall for sure

3.skoda rapid / vw vento - need an all new model even more urgently than a city

4.polo gt tsi - no hatchbacks!

I've been in your shoes, and just getting out of them You're correct, this is no market for an enthusiast. I had shortlisted exactly the same cars that you have eliminated because I bit the bullet and chose function over form - I can live without soft touch leatherette in my car, but I cannot live with a car that does not put a smile across my face.

If automatic/manual transmission is not a deciding factor, I'd pick the Ford EcoSport S or T+ any day - it's the perfect feature-rich, modern and an enthusiast car. Honestly, Ford has enough stake and visibility in the market that they are not going to simply "shut shop and drive away" - they will be around as a separate entity, albeit via Mahindra - EcoSport still sells north of 3500 units every month, and that's not small.

Honda City is too expensive for what it offers without the adequate safety net like ESP, HLA, etc.

As for me, I'm getting a Vento TSI by this weekend before they replace the 1.2 4-cylinder with a 1.0 3-cylinder - heart over head any day

[Cayman360]

For those who have extensively driven both, which is a better car to drive: the Honda City manual or a Polo GT TSi. Leaving out the obvious benefit of interior space and reliability of the City.

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by Cayman360

For those who have extensively driven both, which is a better car to drive: the Honda City manual or a Polo GT TSi. Leaving out the obvious benefit of interior space and reliability of the City.

Cant say that I have driven the GT TSI extensively, though I have driven it on several occasions. My vote would go to the Honda City. Tractability of the engine is first class, and so is the spread of power throughout the long rev range. Coupled with the involvement offered by the slick shifting manual 'box, its a lovely mix of fun and practicality. Cherry on the cake: the SWEEET induction roar from the engine once you fly past 2500 RPM, and the refinement of the engine in lower revs - this has to be one of the best sounding stock engines in this price range.

The GT TSI has its own set of virtues, the biggest among them being the convenience of an auto gearbox and fast shifts. Way overpriced though, for what it offers. However, leaving price aside, given the DSG woes, I would be hesitant to have one in my garage unless I am ok with the inherent costs and unreliability factor involved- which I am definitely not. Enough and more horror stories abounding including on this forum itself.

[rajushank84]

Good thread.
I would say for pre-owned options we can also include the first-gen Figo and the same-gen Fiesta. I know this thread is only for cars currently on sale, but I guess it would make sense to consider those discontinued cars as well, for the price point.

[clevermax]

Originally Posted by tharian

Is it just the engine or the car as a whole you are referring to?

If it is the car, please do provide some points for it be in this thread since I am not aware of any enthusiastic bit in it apart from the engine which was a stonker anyway from the first gen Verna diesel.

I think two cars are missed in this list, one is the NextGen Verna 1.6D (I emphasize 'NextGen') and the S-Cross 1.6 D.

For the current version of 'NextGen' Verna, it is not just the engine. Hyundai has managed to do something about the handling too, and I can say it doesn't feel like a 'boat' anymore. I wouldn't have bought it after owning two Fiats for several years otherwise. With the stock car putting out 126bhp, it is the most powerful C2 segment diesel sedan in the lineup. Just tune it up (Stage 1 ECU remap) and it will become even more fun - mine is about ~155bhp/320Nm, it can do a 0-100kmph in 8.5 seconds flat.

[ais]

Originally Posted by prakash_ajp

Well, it's always been the case. A country where life itself is a struggle, it's not surprising that things are the way they are. When I travel to places like Thailand, I feel sad that I can see several interesting cars and tastefully modified cars comparing with India. It may take more time for such a market to emerge or may not happen at all, We just have to live with that.

In a country where the policy makers do not drive or own cars, what else can we expect. One of them came up with a bright idea of linking taxes to the length of cars! Tax comprises more than half of the cost of a car. Roads comprise a major chunk of their ingenuity in corruption, so we get potholed throughout our journey of life.

How I wish I could import a Mazda Miata, or own a previous generation used BMW M3 convertible with easy availability of spares and expertise in maintenance. I was just ogling at the green M3 convertible of Yuvraj the cricketers wife last evening at a tennis courts parking in Chandigarh. This in fact is the reason I searched for used driver oriented cars and came across this thread.